Another finding by looking at Census Images

I have probably views 1,000 Census Images over the past two weeks and that doesn’t include the 2,300 images that I have looked at in the Indexing Project.

I have been cleaning up my Census records working my way back through my file.

This evening I was looking at the 1900 Census for Waltham, Middlesex County, Massachusetts. I have seen the record in 2008, when I found my grandmother listed in that record. BUT, I didn’t really LOOK at it. I captured the data, but didn’t really look at the Census Record.

The head of the household is Rachel Carroll Allen, my great, great grandmother, along with my grandmother. She would have 13 at the time. What I missed was the 3rd person in the household. A Lodger, Bessie C Stanley. Ms. Stanley worked at the Waltham watch factory, according to her occupation.

Why is Rachel’s parents not listed? Well, Rachel’s mother had died in 1893, and her father was killed in 1896. Both worked at that same watch factory.

So, who is this Ms. Stanley?

I haven’t found the answer for sure, in black and white, yet, but the hint is in my great-grandfather’s obituary:

Rider KilledHerbert Johnston Was Crushed Under RunawayWas Learning to CycleLack of experience on the machine was partly responsible for his fall.

A sad accident occurred on High street yesterday afternoon by which Herbert Johnston, a well known employee at the American Watch factory, lost his life. Mr. Johnston was a novice at the art of cycling, and had engaged a wheel for this week to learn to ride. Yesterday morning at about 11:30 he was riding along High street below the Comet Factory.

A horse belonging to F.E. Stanley, proprietor of the Stanley Dry Plate Company, and driven by his hired man, was coming along the road from Newton, when it became unmanageable and ran away, throwing the driver out. The horse ran wildly up High Street and coming behind Mr. Johnston, who was unable to avoid it, threw him from his wheel, and he was struck in the head by the horse’s hoof. Mr. Johnston was picked up and carried to the Waltham Hospital, where he died about one o’clock. His remains were immediately turned over to Undertaker Goodnow, and the medical examiner summoned.

Dr. Meade examined the remains, and pronounced the death to be caused by a fracture of the skull, causing concussion of the brain..

Mr. Johnston who is a widower lived at 112 Myrtle street with his child and his mother. He was a member of Waltham Lodge A. O. U. W. All members of the Order are urgently requested to meat at A.O.U.W. hall Saturday at 2:15 p. m. to attend the funeral of our late brother H. J. Johnston. Wear dark clothes and white gloves. A. H. Rand, Recorder.

I think the Bessie C Stanley, may be a sibling or the Stanley brothers. I don’t know this for sure, but from what I have been able to determine, the Stanley’s took care of my grandmother following this unfortunate accident.

This article mentions the same house that is reflected in the 1900 Census.

This is that house. Unfortunately, when I took my parents to see the house in 2003, it was gone.

Rachel Carroll Allen’s father was born in Ireland, according to the Census Record. According to some family letters, “Parish of Drum, Town of Borrisoleigh County of Tipperary, Ireland”

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This entry was posted on Thursday, April 19th, 2012 at 10:11 pm and is filed under Genealogy. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
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2 Responses to Another finding by looking at Census Images

Great find, Russ! It really does add a lot when you can bring old records to life like this. There were many boarders in my family, but I just figured they were renting a room out for additional income or putting up a farm-hand. And I do have a few ancestors who were boarders themselves. That would definitely deserve more investigation.

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About this Blog

The purpose of this Blog has changed over time. What started out to be an online version of some old Worthington Descendant Newsletters.
It has become a way to journal about my adventure into Family History, sometimes called Genealogy.
The change for me is more about finding out the stories behind the names and dates that I find about the people I find in my research.